In order to ensure a smooth transition to IPv6, AfriNIC's pool should be managed to provide members with routable blocks after the IPv4 pool is depleted, in order to maintain and deploy IPv4 networks while deploying IPv6 networks during a gradual transition to IPv6. This document proposes a strategy for allocation and Assignment and maintenance of AfriNIC's final /8 block of IPv4 from IANA.

1) Background

Following the much anticipated IPv4 pool exhaustion, a global policy, "Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space", has been ratified. The policy ensures that IANA reserves one (1) IPv4 /8 address block for each RIR. Details of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space can be found at: www.afrinic.net/docs/policies/AFPUB-2009-v4-001.html.

This policy (IPv4 Soft Landing), applies to the management of address space that will be available to AfriNIC under this Global Policy.

The purpose of this document is to ensure that this last block is used in a manner that is acceptable to the AfriNIC community.

A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an Internet Registry (IR) that receives allocations from an RIR and assigns address space to customers who use its services. LIRs are generally ISPs and their customers are end-users and possibly other ISPs. LIRs must be members of an RIR like AfriNIC; which serves the Africa Region and part of the Indian Ocean (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles).

(3.2) Existing LIR's

An Existing LIR is a LIR that assigns address space to 'end-users' and has already been assigned or allocated IPv4 address space by AfriNIC..

(3.3) New LIR

A New LIR, is a LIR that assigns address space to 'end-users' and is a member of AfriNIC but has not been assigned or allocated any IPv4 address space prior to the Exhaustion phase.

(3.4) End User

An End User is an organization that receives assignments of IP addresses exclusively for use in its operational networks

(3.5) Final /8 block of IPv4 address space, or "Final /8"

The Final /8 block of IPv4 address space, or "Final /8", is the /8 block of IPv4 address space that will be allocated by the IANA to AfriNIC in terms of section 2.2 C of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space at the time of exhaustion of the IANA pool of IPv4 address space. AfriNIC's version of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space is also known as AFPUB-2009-v4-001 at http://www.afrinic.net/docs/policies/AFPUB-2009-v4-001.html .

4) Summary

This proposal describes how AfriNIC shall assign, allocate, and manage IPv4 resources during the "Exhaustion Phase" which begins when AfriNIC first needs to assign or allocate IP addresses from the Final /8 block of IPv4 address space.

5) Current Phase

The "Current Phase" is the status quo at the time of adoption of this policy. During this phase, AfriNIC will continue allocating or assigning IPv4 addresses to LIRs and End Users using the current policies, including AFPUB-2005-v4-001 , AFPUB-2006-GEN-001 , and any future amended versions of such policies.

The current phase will continue until an otherwise-valid request for IPv4 address space from any LIR or end user to AfriNIC either (a) cannot be fulfilled with the IPv4 address space available in the AfriNIC pool (with the exception of the Last /8), or (b) can be fulfilled, but would leave the AfriNIC IPv4 address pool empty (with the exception of the Last /8).

The request that results in either of the above conditions being fulfilled will be the last IPv4 address space request that AfriNIC will accept from any LIR or End User in the Current Phase. If the request can be processed in terms of the Current Phase policies, then it will be so processed; otherwise, it will be processed in terms of Exhaustion Phase policies.

AfriNIC will publically announce that the Exhaustion Phase has begun at this point.

6) Exhaustion Phase:

During the Exhaustion Phase, the following allocation and assignment policy will be used. This policy applies to both LIRs and End Users, and applies at all times after the transition to the Exhaustion Phase, regardless of the amount of IPv4 address space available to AfriNIC:

6.1)The minimum allocation or assignment size for IPv4 will be a /27 block (32 addresses). The maximum alocation or assignment size will be a /22 or 1024 addresses.

6.2) If any LIR or End User requesting IPv4 address space during the Exhaustion Phase does not already have IPv6 address space, then AfriNIC shall allocate or assign an IPv6 address block in compliance with the IPv6 allocation or assignment policies in effect at the time.

6.3) The current allocation and assignment period of 12 months shall be changed to 8 months. This will help to ensure that LIRs request only for resources they need in the short to medium term, and promote fairness in the equitable distribution of the last IPv4 address pool.

7) Allocation Criteria

7.1) In order to receive IPv4 allocations or assignments during the Exhaustion Phase, the LIR or End User must have used at least 90% of all previous allocations or assignments (including those made during both the Current Phase and the Exhaustion Phase). In the case of new LIRs or End Users with no previous allocations or asignments, this requirement does not apply to their first allocation or assignment request.

7.2) If an LIR or End User does not already have IPv6 address space, then AfriNIC shall allocate or assign an IPv6 address block in compliance with the IPv6 allocation or assignment policies in effect at the time of the LIR or End User's first request for IPv4 address space during the Exhaustion Phase.

7.3)AfriNIC resources are for the AfriNIC geographical region. For each allocation or assignment made during the Exhaustion Phase, no more than 10% of these resources may be used outside of the AfriNIC region, and any use outside the AfriNIC region shall be solely in support of connectivity back to the AfriNIC region.

8) IPv4 Address Space Reserve

A /12 IPv4 address block will be in reserve out of the Last /8. This /12 IPv4 address block shall be preserved by AfriNIC for some future uses, as yet unforeseen. The Internet is innovative and we cannot predict with certainty what might happen. Therefore, it is prudent to keep this block in reserve, just in case some future requirement creates a demand for IPv4 addresses.

When AfriNIC can no longer meet any more requests for address space from the last /8 pool because the pool is either empty or has no more contiguous blocks, the Board will based on the demand and other factors at the time exercise the prerogative to replenish the exhaustion pool from the reserve pool in a manner that is in the best interest of the community.

Discussions are taking place on the policy working group mailing list if you want to subscribe to the mailing send your subscription request to rpd-request [at] afrinic.net with 'Subscribe' as subject line